1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to an improved vehicle suspension system for vehicles such as trailers and trucks. More particularly, the invention relates to an air spring suspension system with a single piece trailing beam for land vehicles. Specifically, the invention relates to a trailing beam air suspension system which provides the advantages of independent wheel suspension with integrated components and a more compact arrangement.
2. Background Information
Torsion axles have been known for many years (for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,981. Torsion axles have proven to be extremely popular because if one wheel hits a bump or rut it can react independently of the other wheel which may not hit a bump or rut at the same time. This torsion axle concept operates to keep a trailer moving as straight as possible behind a towing vehicle and absorbs some of the shock of the road over which it is passing with an independent suspension. This is contrasted with a straight axle wherein if one wheel drops into a rut or is slowed down for any reason while the other wheel of the trailer does not have the same experience at the same time, the trailer would tend to turn somewhat to allow the wheel that is on the flat part of the road to move forward while the wheel that is in the rut is restrained therefore causing the axle to not be perpendicular with the direction of towing of the vehicle itself.
Most torsion axles are constructed of a square axle in cross-section with elongated rubber members disposed in-between the square axle and a larger outer tube. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,161,814 and 5,820,156 disclose such a construction. One common torsion axle is a TorFlex® rubber torsion suspension system distributed by Dexter Axle. This type of torsion axle has independent and separate stub axles or stub shafts on each end which are part of spaced suspension assemblies mounting each of the wheels on the trailer frame to enhance the independent aspect of such an axle.
Torsion axles can also be constructed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,701 which uses a plurality of elongated bars which can twist and bend but return to their original position after such bending. It is also known to use air bags, commonly referred to as air springs, for straight, non-torsion axles, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,784,221 and 5,427,404. While it is true that both the torsion axle technology and the air spring technology has been quite successful independently in making a smoother ride and enhancing the handling performances of vehicles having such suspension systems, these suspension systems still have their shortcomings and there is a need for improvement thereto.
The vehicle suspension system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,165 combines the advantage of both the torsion axle and air spring into a single suspension assembly and has provided a more efficient and better performing suspension system than that provided by the systems using only a torsion axle or only an air spring.
The suspension assembly of the present invention improves upon the prior art and provides a more rugged, compact, and lighter weight suspension by providing a completely independent trailing arm style suspension that still provides superior lateral stability. The present invention also allows the traditional torsion axle to be completely removed and enable lower design heights to be achieved and also requires only a single integrated moving part at each wheel to provide a superior ride quality.
Therefore, a need exists for a trailing arm suspension which is a fully independent wheel suspension and incorporates air springs to improve ride quality.